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Red
750ml
Bottle: $57.94
12 bottles: $56.78
From warm, fully south-facing vineyards near the township of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Agostina Pieri’s 2018...
12 FREE
DC
92
WA
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.86 $52.00
12 bottles: $49.40
Overtones of vanilla give way to pungent fennel and sage. Belying Agostina Pieri’s warm, southerly location, the...
12 FREE
DC
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.80
12 bottles: $21.66
The Pieri Rosso seeks for the best balance between tradition and modernity. There’s always precocious Sangiovese...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.94
A concentrated bead of blackberries and minerals pervades the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied with...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
94
Red
375ml
Bottle: $29.67
12 bottles: $29.08
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
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JS
95
WA
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $48.95
12 bottles: $47.97
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
93
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $32.94 $35.20
12 bottles: $32.68
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
WA
95
JD
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $52.92 $56.00
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
12 FREE
WA
95
JD
95
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $264.95
6 bottles: $259.65
Super clean black fruit and minerals on the nose and palate. Floral and herbal nuances, too. Medium-to full-bodied...
JS
97
WA
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $104.81 $113.99
Super clean black fruit and minerals on the nose and palate. Floral and herbal nuances, too. Medium-to full-bodied...
12 FREE
JS
97
WA
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.94 $104.80
This has a complex nose of cranberries, dried pineapple, soy, bark, cardamom, mocha, iodine and wet leather....
12 FREE
JS
97
JD
96
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $244.20
6 bottles: $240.00
Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full...
WA
97
VM
97
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $104.16 $112.00
Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full...
12 FREE
WA
97
VM
97
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $109.79 $121.99
The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva holds tight to its unique character and power. The classic 2016...
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WA
96
WE
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.85 $20.80
12 bottles: $19.45
The unoaked 2022 Rosso di Montalcino offers redcurrant, dried raspberry, cherry cola, lavender candy and wild rose....
WA
88
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.83 $18.28
A vibrant, elegant red, despite the firm tannins. Reveals prevailing floral, cherry, strawberry and iron flavors as...
WS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.99 $28.88
12 bottles: $23.56
The 2022 Chianti Classico Peppoli is a youthful ruby magenta, and is highly expressive with lively aromas of...
JD
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.92 $35.60
6 bottles: $32.00
A juicy red, with flesh and bright acidity framing cherry and strawberry flavors. Firm and taut, yet finds...
WS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.90 $17.54
12 bottles: $15.87
The Rosso di Montepulciano 2020 has a ruby red colour highlighted by purple streaks. The bouquet presents caresses of...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.68 $12.56
A tight, focused red with currant and cherry character and hints of chocolate and sandalwood. Medium to full body,...
JS
93

Chardonnay Frappato Sangiovese Italy Tuscany

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.

There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.

The central Italian region of Tuscany is widely understood to be one of the world's most famous and highly regarded wine regions. The beautiful rolling hillsides and medieval towns and castles which are a key feature of the area are also home to many of Europe's finest wineries, and extremely high quality vineyards growing the distinctive Sangiovese and Vernaccia grape varietals which are the flavorful backbone of Tuscany's wonderful red and white wines. For almost three thousand years, this region has been recognized as an ideal home for wine production on a large scale, and the ancient Etruscans, Greeks and Romans all noticed that fine grape varietals flourished on the unique soils and under the hot sunshine which typifies the area. Today, Tuscany is home to a wide range of wines, from the traditional to the complex, but all dedicated to excellent flavors and aromas, and maintaining the region's international reputation.